Three simple words…

Survival mode. I’m officially in “last few weeks of the last semester of my last year in college” survival mode.

Signs and symptoms:

Complete disregard for the need to sleep.

Forgetting to eat or drink, that is until your stomach gives off a loud rumble or you nearly pass out when you stand up.

Lack of concern regarding appearance (though I haven’t resorted to stereotypical college kid uniform of pajamas…yet)

Cranking out paper after paper after paper, I think I might have a callous on my butt from sitting in this office chair

Inability to distinguish right from left, up from down (just ask my fitness class, haha)

Cardio-pulmonary rehab anyone?

Resulting destruction left in my wake:

A house that looks like a paper-tornado spun a few laps through

A laundry pile resembling Mt. Everest (probably a direct correlation with the “I could care less if it matches, just make sure it covers the important parts” symptom above)

Two crazy, crazy children. You know how if you are near a horse, and the horse just KNOWS if he makes you nervous are not? And if you aren’t a horse person, if you are even just slightly uncomfortable in the presence of those giant beasts, the horse will egg you on, nip at your clothing or nudge you with his big horsey head? Trying to act cute, but inside probably thinking “heh heh, look at this human squirm!” That’s what my kids are doing. OK, maybe not *quite* the same, but they seem to have this ability to know exactly when I’m getting ready to put a really good thought down on paper (well, computer screen) to say something like “*gasp* MOM! I need juice, NOW, I’m so THIRRRSSTTTYY, I just might DIEEEE!” As soon as that apparent life-threatening situation is taken care of, and I sit down ready to get back to work, I am informed that the world just might end if we do not find the blue car with the yellow trim, NOT to be confused, by any means, with the blue car with white trim.

Forget Animal House, I think someone needs to make a movie about the “non traditional” student. I guarantee you it would be just as amusing…my house is crazier than a frat party. Someone is always naked, asking for another drink, spilling something, barging in on you in the bathroom, talking WAY louder than necessary, throwing things from high up places to watch them fall, or wrestling.

Despite all of this, I feel very accomplished lately. There is always satisfaction in handing over a freshly printed paper, or in checking another item off of your “to do” list.

However, one SERIOUS problem looms as I face the weekend: to TRI or not to TRI?

Let’s break it down:

The bad: I’ve been sick, fever, stuffy nose, for a few days now.The good: it’s been a few days, so I’ve got to be on the mend, right?

The bad: I haven’t run in, lets see, dailymile says I haven’t run since my 8.5 miler….12 days ago. The good: In one of my classes, we were given an assignment to lead the rest of the class in a 15 minute group fitness routine. About 85% of the class chose to recreate P90-X, and thus, I’ve gotten my butt handed to me every Tuesday and Thursday for the last two weeks. (note to self: work on stronger core this summer). And I’ve been teaching 5 fitness classes per week. So it’s not like I’m inactive

The bad: I’ve only put in one serious ride on my tri bikeThe good: I changed out the saddle for a more comfortable less painful one.

The bad: I haven’t been in the pool since, uhh, sometime in March. I’m 99.99% sure I put down an estimated swim time much faster than I’ll be capable of this weekend, which means I’ll have to step to the back of the line (staggered-start pool swim and all)The good:…………………………?????

I’m exhausted, and quite honestly, not looking forward to this race. And I love to race. LOVE is an understatement. If I had all the money in the world I’d race every weekend. Heck I’d make my own races and invite everyone to join for free. So me, not looking forward to a race, is quite the statement. It’s a really short sprint (300 yards in the pool, 11 miles on the bike, 3.1 mile run). If I don’t go, I’ll probably kick myself. And if I DO go, chances are pretty good that I’ll be glad I did it once it’s over.

Do I let the enduro-junkie get a fix or let the exhausted college student sleep in on a Sunday?

You can do it! I am a non-trad student too and I am wrestling with a particularly annoying A&P class. With 2 part time jobs and a house, I can’t even imagine what it would be like with kids. I can barely keep track of myself and my husband. That being said..Good luck! I am off to study:-)

I can so relate…then they tried to tell me it was impossible to get straight As while working full time as a Nurse Practitioner student. Don’t tell me I can’t do something. I have had to accept that sometimes I can’t do it all lately. If you are tired, and working hard for school, there will be other races. I know it is hard NOT to do something, but cut yourself some slack. 🙂

I think you should go. Have you paid for it already? Is so, then you HAVE to go. The best/safest part is that the swim is in a pool so you don’t have to worry about drowning, just a bad time. It is a short race, so you can just take a few hours for yourself without it taking up the whole day and then you can get back to crazy.

I am totally learning about the “I need the car business.” My 2 yr olf son needed “the blue mustang from Target” meaning the 2010 blue mustang cobra hotwheels, not the 1967 blue fastback hotwheels. He cried about it for DAYS. We could not drive by target without a tantrum. I knew it was in the house because it got slide/spun/thrown somewhere he couldn’t reach yet couldn’t describe. I found it in the bottom of the box to my bike rack. Go figure.

If you do decide to do it, definitely, definitely consider getting at the end of the line for the swim. If you haven’t been swimming and don’t know if you can make it 300 yards without stopping to rest at the edges of the pool, then you need to consider safety. Both yours and the other racers’. One the biggest mistakes that many people make when going into triathlons is not actually practicing the swim length. Then they wear themselves out by trying to swim faster than they can (or longer than they can). I hate to be a downer, but I have seen that happen way too many times. You can make up a longer swim time in the bike and run 🙂

oh! i have my first tri this weekend!!! YOU were my main inspiration to get the guts to sign up for one!!!

i can totally relate bout wanting to sleep in!after the tri,Ive got 2 shows coming up and a half marathon the next week== so i am feeling pretty overtrained right now…and aside from training,there is the whole life with three small kids,one a teething grumpy baby who doesnt sleep well!i know if i feel like im being pulled in 500 different directions,i can only imagine how you feel!

but maybe a race is just what we need to release some of the crazy stress energy???

either way,i think you should do what you feel like when you wake up on race day…. 😀

No matter what you chose to do this weekend, you are a true inspiration to all of us Mommy/Student/Wife types just trying to conquer the world! I’ve still got 2 years left in my academic journey and again, you are inspiring! Good luck this weekend!

that’s a super short swim, you will be just fine!! If you are feeling good enough to race come the weekend, well just go for it!.I hope you are feeling better soon 🙂You are almost at the end of the line….housework is overrated anyway. 20 years from now you won’t look back and say “gee,I wish I skipped that race to fold laundry”.

You have enough on your plate right now. There will always be another race. It’s okay not to do this one. I’m in a similar boat as you right now…sick for the last few days, reconstructed knee that is seriously aching, toddlers running around, husband out of town, a house in disarray, and a half coming up in a few weeks. I’ve NEVER missed a race before, but if it was this weekend, I think it would be wise not to race. Don’t run your body down to the point that you get sicker. You’re amazing no matter what!

Oh man I say go for it do the race. Use it as “me time” and race for fun do not worry about the numbers you love so much. Just enjoy your time away from the kids, school, and all the other crazy crap going on in your life right now.

Go for it!! If it were a long race, I’d vote for rest up and give yourself a break, but a sprint is so short and over before you know it! Just kick back and enjoy the event instead of racing it. You’ll feel great for having done it, and if you don’t push it too hard it will be a boost instead of dragging you down to further exhaustion. 🙂Good Luck!

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Meet Heather

I'm Heather, mom of two, ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, and an overzealous athlete who cannot focus on a single discipline, so I train for all of them at the same time. When in doubt, I run...and then write about it. Read More…

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